Through a Child's Eyes
by ImprobableAbnormality
Summary: Re-uploaded from my old account. Tala talks about what he can see from his cell window, life and Christmas at the Abbey. Written for a GCSE assignment question. R


**Rating: **T (just to be safe)

**Summary: **Tala talks about what he can see from his cell window, life and Christmas at the Abbey.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Beyblade, it's Takao Aoki's.

**A/N: **Re-uploaded from my old account. This was written to an English assignment question during my GCSE's which was something like: "Describe the view from your window." Anyway, hope you enjoy!

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**Through a Child's Eyes**

I wouldn't call this room a bedroom; it's more like a cell. My window is barred with ugly, black-painted metal. Still, if I grab the bars and pull myself up till my arms hurt and my feet find my crudely made footholds, I can stare out to freedom.

Blank. Crisp. Pure. Outside the innocent, white snow covers the city of Moscow in a blanket of ignorance. There is no one on the streets, and even if there was, they wouldn't dare look up into the windows of 'The Abbey', not even for a glance at my boyish, pale face, vivid, aquamarine eyes and shocking red hair, that usually acted as a beacon for me among my fellow 'prisoners' - that's what we orphans are. The pure snow is still falling steadily and I long to run outside and catch one of the delicate flakes on my tongue. I'd be beaten for it though. The director forbids things that are fun; he calls them 'acts of immatureness'.

There isn't much near here. The Abbey is in a secluded part of Moscow, so the white snow gathers quickly, undisturbed. Up in the twilight sky I can see birds, flying free. They're probably migrating to somewhere warmer. I wish to be like them, soaring high, flying free - without restraints.

In The Abbey grounds I can see the newest batch of arrivals. They are smiling, grins lighting up their excited faces, the fools. They have had the promise of good times and playing whispered into their ears from the director's poisoned tongue. They will be made into soldiers, like Bryan Kuznetsov, my best friend - well ex-best friend. He has no emotions now; the director stole them with his 'magic tools'. Bryan doesn't even remember me now. As for me, I'm special, or so the director says. He's training me extra hard because I have to be one of the best, a leader, and an example to be followed. He's changed me too. In his lab. I'm now part cyborg. It hurt a lot, but I didn't cry, I wouldn't cry - not for him...

It's not all bad at The Abbey. I still have my other friends. Ian's younger than me, but he acts my age apart from the odd outburst that usually gets him whipped. And Spencer's older, kind of like a big brother, always giving me good advice. But the best of them all is Kai. Kai's my room mate, younger brother and friend all in one. He's a Hiwatari; which means his granddad is the one who opened this hellhole. Kai hates his granddad though, because he makes Kai do things, and forces him to work four times as hard as everyone, even me. Kai gets punished a lot too. He's always being thrown into our cell with bleeding gashes littering his back. It's a wonder he hasn't died from blood loss yet really. I help him clean those wounds though; they look scary against his pale skin. Still he'll pull through; because Kai's the little phoenix, always reborn with a stronger will than before.

Back to my view, I can't see much else apart from the spires of the taller buildings in Moscow. I've never been to the city; I wonder what it's like. Are children whipped and beaten there too? I doubt it...

The light's dimmed now. Below me lights are turning on, little LED beacons of yellow, blue, red and green. Why? Well in the outside world it is Christmas Eve. All the children are hoping they've been good enough for Santa to visit them this year. Hmph. Santa? Presents? Loving and giving? It's almost laughable. Those little pups have no idea how harsh the real world is. I envy them. I should be like them, not having to worry about perfection and beatings. I want to be naive, young and free. Just for one day, if not forever. It's snowing still; it really looks like Christmas time out there, more than this blank cell.

Still there is one perk of Christmas Day - no training. And we all get one present, from him. It's usually something to do with our beyblade though. I think he pays someone to wrap it up all nice, with his cold heart, he couldn't do anything like that. He doesn't know though that one of Kai's maids helps him and me, Ian and Spencer to get presents for each other. He sees her once every week, so two weeks before Christmas he gives her special lists that each of us write, and then the week after he picks them up, all wrapped and labelled. He hides them in separate bags, and puts them in his suitcase and gives them to us at the Abbey. Then on Christmas we give them out. I wonder what Kai got me this year? Last year he got me a t-shirt. I always wear it under my jacket; the only time I take it off is to get it washed. Ian gave me hair gel, and Spencer gave me a special book about wolves.

This year I tried hard, I really did. For Ian, I asked the maid to get him the set of goggles he's forever going on about. She did as well. And I asked for a special whale adoption for Spencer. She managed to get it, so until next Christmas; Kai will be sneaking Spencer letters every week telling him about his whale. And Kai. At first I didn't know what to get Kai. But then I saw this necklace in an advert and I had to get it. The necklace is a tag, like the one's for the army, but only one, and has a phoenix rising out of the flames etched into it. It's perfect for Kai. I hope he likes it. He'll say he does anyway though, but if he wears it a lot, I'll know.

I should probably go to sleep soon, but Kai's not back yet. We always wait for each other no matter what. And tonight it looks like there'll be a blizzard, which Kai hates because of the sound the roaring winds make on our window. So I guess I'll have to let him share my bed tonight. I don't mind, I feel less alone that way. I'll get down from the window now, my arms are aching and my legs are stiff. I'll sit on my bed and wait for Kai to come in, and then we can sleep through another night in Hell. One day we'll escape, and then we'll celebrate a proper Christmas.... One day...

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**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed it! If I'm honest, this is one of my favourite one shots that I've written. I just love working from Tala's POV, as a child. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and please review with your comments.


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